1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns an ankle brace which enables the wearer to participate in normal athletic events while protecting an injured or susceptible ankle from further injury by supporting both the inner and outer portions of the foot and ankle without imposing relative twisting forces between the ankle and foot.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During the course of routine activities or athletic endeavors, the human ankle is subjected to various shocks and strains which may cause an injury such as a sprain. To allow continued activity of a person having an injured ankle or as a prophylactic measure against injury, adhesive tape has heretofore been used to wrap an ankle. Unfortunately, tape must be discarded after each use and considerable time and expense may be incurred in repeated taping of the ankle. In addition, the tape is often inflexible and results in discomfort and loss of motion during wear, as well as being somewhat difficult to remove.
As a result of these disadvantages, efforts have been made to develop a support or brace for the ankle which is more permanent, which is to say removable, and therefore more economical. Such braces must necessarily be designed for enabling the wearer to wear his or her existing shoes and thus must be closely conforming to the foot. Existing ankle braces include webs which may be laced in the manner of conventional shoes and are provided with straps which wrap across the instep. Other models have lateral straps which are inelastic and places tension on the foot, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,370 to Kallassy.
While such ankle braces have proven to be a general improvement over the use of adhesive tape, they have tended to place tension on the foot causing it to turn relative to the leg. Because of the tension applied to the medial side of the foot, they have tended to lead the foot of the wearer into a condition of inversion -- that is that the outside of the foot is pulled downwardly placing greater strain on the ankle. In addition, such prior art ankle braces are designed for either the right or the left foot and may not be used with either foot.